


Spice of Life

by Okami01



Series: Soft Goro Week Winter 2021 [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Panic, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, POV Akechi Goro, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29163978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okami01/pseuds/Okami01
Summary: Akechi is in Leblanc doing reconnaissance and trying to drink his coffee. Akira Kurusu is back at it with his stupid games.For Softgoroweek Winter! Day 3 - Cooking
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Series: Soft Goro Week Winter 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2136465
Kudos: 47





	Spice of Life

" Would you like one of these?" Akira says with a seemingly innocuous expression that Akechi has learned not to trust. 

His glasses are foggy from the heat of the curry and coffee pot. 

He slides over a plate of takoyaki octopus spheres. 

Akechi sips his coffee. Sojiro isn't here nor is the cat. 

Still, the cafe is open, technically. Not too many people come here anyway. Which is why Akechi likes coming here. Surveillance reasons aside. 

Watching Akira isn't the worst thing he's ever done. 

It's funny. Phantom Thievery aside, his life right at this moment seems sort of dull. 

Cleaning a coffee mug and cooking. Wearing an apron and working at a secluded coffee shop. 

Even if the things he makes are debatable tasty in the metaverse. They serve their function here well enough. 

Akira has started to clean another coffee mug. But he hasn't moved over to the sink. So she's just sort of standing there with his rag, waiting. For Akechi to eat most likely. 

Akechi puts the bookmark in his book.  
" Hmm… How much do I owe you."

The things look suspiciously like the ones from the school festival.

" I just made them. You can have some."

Akira shrugs.

Few things come without a price. And those that do will inevitably come to bite you later.

" There's curry in them," Akira supplies. As if that explains anything.

Akechi eyes the curry pot. The air is filled with spices and coffee. 

Sometimes, when he and Akira are close to each other, crouched beside each other waiting to ambush shadows, he smells that very scent. 

" Spicy ones?"

" Maybe. I can't remember."

" You can't remember," Akechi repeats. He knows it's a lie and judging by the little smirk on Akira's face he knows it too. 

" Ah, you know," Akechi says, lowering his voice and leaning up into Akira's space. " I would have thought the leader of the Phantom Thieves would have a better memory than that."

Akira leans in towards him. Hovers, since Akechi is sitting. It makes Akechi want to stand. 

" What," Akira says, looming," are you scared?"

For all Akechi knows, they could all be spicy. But he shoves one in his mouth anyway.  
Akira stares at him, seemingly studying his face before turning. 

" Was it spicy?" He asks, putting the mug back on the shelf.

It wasn't. It was actually very tasty.

" No."

" Your face is red."

" Do you have a point?"

" Futaba wanted to try them so I'm practicing."

" So I'm your guinea pig?" Akechi says. Instead of admitting he wanted Akira to make them for him specifically. Which is ridiculous. He doesn't even like the things that much. 

" I'm already someone else's guinea pig."

Whatever that means, he doesn't elaborate further. And that's sort of worrisome. 

He just turns back around and pops one of the takoyaki in his mouth. 

" It's like Russian Roulette only safer," Akira says, putting his rag away and apparently finishing his cleaning for the day. 

Akechi feels like he shouldn't come here and only talk to Akira. He does have appearances he needs to keep up. But there isn't anyone else here aside from Akira. Whose glasses aren't foggy anymore, more reflective from whatever scheme this is.

" How kind of you to consider my safety, Kurusu-Kun."

" Well, we wouldn't want our famous Highschool detective to die from a bullet wound."

" Our?"

Akira hums.

Akechi picks up the ball and eats it. Now there are five left. 

Things like this always look inconspicuous in comparison to the things Akechi has done. 

" You put them here so you obviously know which one of them is spicy." Akechi observes.

" Deductive reasoning at work, huh?" Akira smirks. 

Akechi lifts the plate up. The takoyaki fly into the air. 

Akira catches one, still smirking, still looking at Akechi. He catches another one. 

The remaining three fall on the counter with a soft thud.

" Alright then," Akechi says, popping the next one into his mouth. The play field is more even now.

" If you're practicing magic then you probably aren't doing it right."

He leans forward and eats the takoyaki. Akechi resists swallowing as well.  
Walks away from Akechi for a moment. Before walking all the way around the room, flipping the open sign to 'closed' and sitting on the stool beside Akechi's.

He checks his watch, it is getting late.

But he isn't going to leave now. Three left.

" There is evidence of magic in the world, obviously. What those people do with the cloth and the plates is an illusion."

" So not like Santa Claus magic then?" Akira asks. Why he has to remember things, Akechi doesn't know.

" Magic or not," Akechi says, taking one of the remaining balls, " it's trespassing." He doesn't hesitate. It's either spicy or it's not. 

Akira watches him carefully. Akechi tries not to feel too much relief. He swallows. Nothing spicy. Nothing but a portion of flavorful well-cooked food. More than anything, games of chance or not, he feels satisfaction from it all. And it'll be even better seeing Akira experience the horrors of spicy food instead of him. 

" I guess that's it." Akechi says, folding his hands into his lap.

Akira doesn't draw it out any longer. Eats the whole thing in one bite with an annoying show of guts.

He swallows. His face does look red but he has an annoyingly good poker face.

"Well since I won I have a request", Akira says. 

Akechi looks surprised for a moment. " You lost."

Akira shrugs. "We never discussed what the game was."

" That's ridiculous. What do… you want anyway?"

" Don't you want to see how spicy it is."

" Not particularly."

Akira's face is red. He looks warm. And irritatingly, like he doesn't care that his mouth is on fire. 

Dead men tell no tales. But it's just a spicy food and a ridiculous game. He lives up to his name as a Trickster, Akechi supposes. A cheater but Akechi supposes he'll indulge him. 

" What do you want, Kurusu-kun?"

Akira slides his hand further on the counter. Next to Akechi's long-abandoned book. 

Akechi looks at him warily. " You're not trying to steal it right in front of me?"

" I like detective books but no, I get them from the library. "

" How diligent."

" Mmm, I like books about thieves more… Detective ones remind me of you." 

Akechi feels a little warm himself. There is a now cooling pot of curry behind him.

" They're good books to read… sometimes."

Akira rests his head on his hand. Puts his elbow on the counter. 

" I was thinking of doing something less diligent if you'd like."

" When you steal things… you don't usually announce it so much." Akechi points out. " Whatever it is, just say it. 

" I want to kiss you."

Figures Akira could find something to say to stun him into silence. 

Silent out loud. Akechi panics in his mind. What does it mean? Why is he asking that? Is it a prank? Is he being trolled? 

But Akira isn't smirking. His face is still red but he looks serious. 

Akechi thinks if he waits too long, it'll be awkward. Maybe it already is. He has no idea how much time has passed or why he's actually, disgustingly absurdly flustered.  
It doesn't have to mean anything. It shouldn't. 

" You- Kurusu-kun … You're serious?"

Akechi already knows the answer.  
Sitting close together, losing the game, closing the shop. Staring with those serious quizzical eyes. This was all part of his plan. 

Akira, who has a ridiculous amount of guts and more charm than Akechi would like to admit into seeing, nods.

Akechi doesn't think. He should think. Analyze. Ponder. Instead, something in his brain snaps and he comes to think of it as a challenge. 

Before he knows it. Before he can stop himself. He leans forward and kisses Akira. Grabs him by the collar of his apron. As if it'll give him some control over the situation. Maybe it will.

It doesn't. But he likes to think that it does. He'd like to get his hands in Akira's hair. To deepen the kiss and to bite.

Before he can think about whether or not that's a good idea, Akira moves away. Akechi begrudgingly releases his apron. 

Akira makes a noise. His lips are warm. They were warm. It could be happening again but Akechi ought to have some sense of dignity. 

Though a part of him, the part he'd like to suppress but comes out anyway apparently, wouldn't mind throwing away his dignity if it meant kissing Akira again.  
" It's spicy, " Akechi stupidly says out loud. Licks his lips. Like he was the one who lost the game in the first place. 

" That's the point." Akira mirrors Akechi's action, which only makes Akechi blush more. 

He reaches blindly for his book, shoving it into his briefcase. Trying to maintain eye contact. Because it would be weird not to probably. 

" It's getting late so I'd better leave."

Because how many poorly thought out decisions can he make today?

" Thanks. For the food." Akechi says. It was nice." He jumps out of his seat and turns. "Goodnight." And he knows Akira is laughing at him. Only when he turns around, just before heading out the door, Akira is looking at him with a look Akechi can hardly believe. With fondness.

" Goodnight, Akechi-Kun." Akira's sitting there with his head resting on his hand again, smiling. 

They're faces are both warm. 

Akechi can barely hear the little bell over the sound of his own heart and he thinks that's ridiculous too.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Soft Goro Week! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Orginally... this was more angsty and less shippy but I was like... how can we make this fluffy and gay


End file.
